Meat Industry
Irish meat firm Dawn Meats has been awarded the McDonald’s Europe Sustainable Supply Award 2015 for the second time in a row, for its work on improving sustainability.
McDonald’s said Dawn was at the forefront of promoting sustainable practices within the McDonald’s Europe beef supply chain.
On winning the award, and following on from the success in the global Best of Sustainable Supply awards in 2014, Niall Browne, CEO Dawn Meats, said: “We are delighted and honoured to accept this Sustainable Supply Award on behalf of all the team at Dawn Meats.
“We have worked collaboratively across a range of sustainability challenges, both internal and external, and have delivered tangible benefits for our business, our customers and our suppliers. We look forward to building on this progress in the months and years ahead.
Keith Kenny, head of sustainability & CSR, McDonald’s Europe, commented: “Every year we encourage our suppliers to focus even more attention on sustainability, applying innovation and showing leadership with other stakeholders in making a real difference in the local communities and industries where they operate.
“The poultry meat industry likes recessions,” according to Gary Ford, chief poultry advisor at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
Speaking at last week’s AHDB Outlook conference, he told delegates that the price of poultry meat stands it in good stead in times of consumer hardship, although the industry has not been achieving growth purely on price.
Per capita consumption has been on the up since the 1990s, with prospects for the increasing global consumption of meat, between now and 2024, providing a positive outlook for the industry.
While he described campylobacter as a big threat to the industry – “we are on thin ice” – he said the influence of the Food Standards Agency’s name and shame campaign has only had a short-lived effect on sales. “Typically large integrators have noted a drop-off of 5%, but within four to five days of the announcement, that has returned to normal,” he explained.
There has been some evidence to suggest that newer sheds result in fewer cases of campylobacter, he explained. However, the UK has an old estate of sheds, with the average poultry shed age at 24 years, and 60% estimated to be more than 20 years-old.
Recent outbreaks of avian influenza have also been causing problems, with a number of countries, including South Africa, which takes 11% of UK poultry exports, imposing a ban on imports of UK poultry meat in the wake of the established bird flu cases in East Yorkshire and, more recently, Hampshire.
World Cup-winning England rugby captain Katy McLean MBE will speak at the inaugural networking seminar for women in the meat industry.
The seminar, which will take place on the 4th March at the Academy of Medical Sciences in London, will provide attendees with the opportunity to improve networking and enhance relationships in the red meat supply chain. It will also focus on developing female talent within the industry by bringing together a skilled women’s networking group.
Eblex said that McLean, a highly successful leader in an environment traditionally associated with men, is ideally placed to give insight into how she has positively worked with other women to prosper in her own field.
Laura Ryan, event organiser and marketing manager for quality schemes at Eblex, said: “Over the 10 years I’ve spent working in the meat industry, I’m always struck by the healthy number of women working in the sector, but how few I actually come into professional contact with. I believe our industry could benefit from a networking group for women operating across the supply chain.
“Following a fantastic response from women in the meat industry echoing my thoughts, I am excited that the inaugural event is now a reality. It will be a great opportunity to listen to an inspiring speaker and network with like-minded businesswomen.”
Food businesses are gearing up for the implementation of new labeling regulations which include the requirement to declare certain allergenic ingredients and to state the first date of freezing on products including meat.
The new EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers (FIC), which comes into force on 13 December, requires that certain foods, including frozen meat and frozen meat preparations, state the day, month and year the product was ‘frozen on…’. However, according to a recent report by GS1 UK, many products are still missing these date requirements.
The 14 identified allergenic ingredients, including celery, eggs, mustard, soya and sulphur dioxide, which are used in non-prepacked or loose foods, must be declared either on a label, or on information such as a menu. As well as foodservice outlets, restaurants and delicatessens, catering establishments at schools, hospitals and prisons will also need to comply.
GS1 UK said that although the number of compliant businesses had increased since April this year, there were still a number that had not made the grade. The third in a series of quarterly reports evaluated a basket of 20 products, including prepared ready meals, and meat, with only 11 out of 20 complying at the time the research was collated – up from four out of 20 in April.
Gary Lynch, chief executive of GS1 UK, said: “This series of reports has shown encouraging signs that industry is moving toward compliance. This is a costly and complex exercise for many, but food and drink businesses have been taking it very seriously.”
From 1 April 2015, the requirement for the mandatory origin labeling of unprocessed fresh, chilled or frozen meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry, comes into effect.
Northern Irish meat firm Finnebrogue and chicken firm Benson Park have been listed as two of the fastest-growing companies in the UK.
The Investec Bank Mid-Market 100 is a countdown of the UK’s fastest-growing private companies, most notably manufacturers and food and drink. These sectors collectively account for almost two-fifths of the UK 100 companies, with 20% and 19% respectively.
Chicken processor Benson Park, which was recently acquired by Cranswick, reported strong profits of £41.1m for the year 2013/2014. Meanwhile, Finnebrogue, which is set to hit a turnover target of £45 million this year, now includes The Good Little Company focusing on sustainably developed pork sausages, burgers and bacon.
Investec’s head of growth and acquisition finance Ed Cottrell said: “It is great to see mid-market growth coming from all four corners of the UK and across a broad range of industry sectors.
“We know from our experience of working with mid-sized businesses that they are highly committed to investing for long-term growth and we look forward to seeing these companies go from strength to strength in the future.”